Never Let Me Go (Welcome To Redemption) (13 page)

Hannah hurried through the front door and stopped dead in her tracks. Dillon sat handcuffed in booking with Chase standing over him, arms crossed and sporting a scowl the size of Lake Michigan. With reluctance, she forced her feet to keep moving until she could hear the conversation going on.

“How did the deposit bag end up in your room, Dillon? Did it sprout wings and fly there?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? Maybe you pricks planted it there. Or maybe that bitchy friend of Shar’s planted it. She’s always at the house, and everyone knows you’re fucking her.”

Hannah stopped cold. Her face grew warm and then hot as several pairs of eyes suddenly turned her way. Though Chase didn’t so much as blink over the offensive remark, he did meet her gaze with an almost apologetic lift of his brow. He leaned in and spoke to Mike, who rushed forward and escorted Hannah into Chase’s office.

“Sorry about that. The guy’s a real scumbag.”

Hannah took a seat and set her purse on her lap. She gave a quick nod before looking through the glass partition back at Chase and Dillon.

“That voice—he’s definitely the one who threatened me the night of the diner.” She glanced back at Mike. “Which means…I have to talk to Chase about something. It completely slipped my mind because we’ve both been so busy. But the night of the robbery, one of the thieves stole a strawberry-rhubarb pie. And the last time I was at Shar’s, she shared the last slice of a strawberry-rhubarb pie that was in one of Hutch’s boxes. I’m pretty sure it was the one stolen the night of the robbery.”

“What makes you think so?”

 
“We don’t sell many whole pies because you can buy them cheaper at
Coffee To Chai For
. No whole pies have left the diner on my shift for at least the last couple of weeks. I know it’s a stretch since that leaves several hours a day unaccounted for, but with Dillon now a suspect it makes sense. And there’s something else. It wasn’t Dillon who grabbed the pie Friday night, it was his accomplice.”

Mike digested that bit of news. “Hang tight.” He opened the door and waved Chase into the office.

Once the door shut behind him, Chase knelt before her and asked, “You all right? I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

Hannah tried for—and hopefully managed—a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. I just can’t believe I didn’t recognize Dillon’s voice the night of the robbery.”

“You were frightened and worried about your friends. Plus, he spoke to you in a harsh whisper versus his normal tone, so it would’ve been pretty impressive if you had recognized it.”
 

“Tell him what you just told me,” Mike reminded her.

She explained again about the pie box, and the two men exchanged looks.

“Pretty sure John already had his garbage out on the curb when we were there earlier,” Mike said. “It gets picked up in the morning on their side of town, right?”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Would you like the honors?”

“You bet.”

“Good. Take Coop with you, and let me know as soon as you have it. I’ll call the lab and ask them for a rush.”

As soon as Mike left, Chase said, “I’m going to escort you home as soon as Zelinsky’s in lock up. We still don’t know who his accomplice was, and it’ll take at least a couple days before we have a match on any prints. Until they’re both in custody, I have to play it safe where you’re concerned.”

“I think it might’ve been Jimmy.”

“What?”

Hannah took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think his accomplice may have been Jimmy. When Shar brought the pie box up to her room she told me he was back in town and had been hanging out with Dillon. She said the last time she saw them, Dillon revealed they were heading to a strip club in Green Bay. Since it’s doubtful Jimmy has a job, and I know Dillon doesn’t, it just struck me as odd.”

Chase considered her theory. “How come you didn’t tell me about this sooner?”

Taken aback by the almost suspicious tone in his voice, Hannah’s guard went up. “Because I was angry with you, if you’ll recall. And I didn’t know anything for sure other than Jimmy was back in town. Going to a strip club isn’t a crime, and I’m not psychic, so I had no clue the deposit bag was sitting in Dillon’s room.”

“Did you ask Shar who brought the pie home?”

“Why would I? That’s sort of an odd thing to ask, don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” he conceded. “Okay, you sit tight. As soon as I hear from Mike, I’ll follow you home. Can I get you a soda or something?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Chase blew out a hard breath. “Look, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was accusing you of something. I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now between Lindy’s attack, the robbery and making sure we can build an airtight case against that piece of shit. Knowing he was one of Lindy’s attackers after the threat he made against you is all I can think about. I have to make sure there are no missteps in this investigation or that SOB could go free.”

“I understand; I do.” She leaned back in the chair and let out a delicate yawn. “I guess I’m just tired and a little cranky after such a busy day.”

Chase gave her one last, considering look. “I’ll be back soon. If you’d like to lie back you can sit in my chair and put your feet up on the desk.”

Hannah did exactly that once he left. And must have promptly fallen asleep since the next thing she knew, she was startled awake by a gentle shake.

“Hey, sleepyhead, let’s get you home.”

Hannah stretched, surprised not only by the fact she’d nodded off, but by how fast. Though that power nap must have been just what she needed since she felt much better. She’d make herself a cup of tea when she got home and get some reading done, or maybe spend a few hours online. It had been forever since she’d checked her email.

Chase followed her home, but when she thought he’d wave and head back to the station, he parked behind her and followed her inside.

“I wanted to apologize again.” He took a seat at the kitchen table. “Sometimes, when I’m in police mode, I lose sight of everything but the case I’m working on. And this one is personal to me, for obvious reasons.”

Hannah put a mug of water in the microwave for tea. “I understand, and I’m not mad. I’m just…frustrated. And tired. I want Dillon behind bars for a long, long time. The thought of that creep breaking into Lindy’s house and…” She couldn’t even finish the unspeakable thought.

“That’s exactly why I’m being so careful with this investigation. I don’t want that piece of shit getting off on a technicality. Especially after he threatened you.” Chase propped his elbows on the table and clasped his hands. “Listen, I think there’s a good chance Jimmy not only helped him rob the diner, but that he was Lindy’s second attacker.”

Hannah looked up from the tea bag she’d just unwrapped. “No way. I’m sorry, but there’s just no way. Jimmy is a lot of things, but a rapist? It doesn’t even make sense. He’s good looking, and he had plenty of women before and after me—”

“He had plenty of women while with you, too. And all any of that proves is he’s a lying, cheating idiot who never deserved a good woman like you.” Chase leaned back, a slight frown marring his brow.

Hannah’s skin warmed over his compliment, and though she fully agreed with his assessment of Jimmy’s character, she simply couldn’t believe the same man she’d slept with, the same man she’d cared for, could be capable of such a violent crime. “I appreciate your loyalty, but being a cheater and a bad boyfriend doesn’t make him a would-be rapist.”

“Dimples, I think you’re putting way too much faith in the guy.”

“Believe me, I have no illusions where Jimmy is concerned. But we’re talking about a brutal crime against women. Jimmy
loves
women. Probably too much. And just because he slept around on me—and probably every other woman he’s been with—doesn’t make him a rapist.”

“Rape has nothing to do with how attractive a person is or how popular they are with the opposite sex. It’s about power and control. Not all rapists are ugly trolls, Hannah.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying, the man I knew wasn’t violent. Charming to a fault, yes. An unfaithful ass, absolutely. But violent? Never.”

Chase’s jaw clenched. “Sounds like maybe you still have feelings for the guy.”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open at his ridiculous comment. “You know better.”

“Do I?”

Was it just wishful thinking, or did that sound a bit like jealousy? Only Hannah wasn’t exactly in the frame of mind to appreciate it. “Look, I have enough on my mind right now, so I am not having this absurd conversation with you.”

Chase opened his mouth to reply, but his cell phone rang. He shot her a quick, quelling glance before answering it. “Lowell here. Okay, thanks. Yeah, I’ll be right there.” He ended the call and stuck his phone back in his pocket. “I have to head back to the station. You gonna be all right?”

She nodded, a little apprehensive, but not enough to worry him unnecessarily. The man had a job to do, and the sooner they had Dillon behind bars permanently, the better. “I’m just going to soak in the tub and do a little reading.”

“I’ll check the doors before I leave. If you need anything call my cell.”

She saluted him.

He stared at her for a moment, his brow creased in frustration. “We’ll finish our conversation when I get back.”

Hannah watched as he checked the back door, then cast her one last, meaningful look before leaving through the front.

Tea in hand, Hannah headed upstairs to the bathroom. She set her mug on the tub, and once she had the water at just the right temperature, headed into her bedroom for a book and pajamas.

Just as she reached for the handle, the closet door swung open.

“Hey, baby, miss me?”

With a startled yelp, Hannah jumped back.

Jimmy.

Chapter 11

“Shit, I didn’t think the cop would ever leave,” Jimmy muttered as he stepped out of her closet and stretched his neck from side to side, as if he’d been in there quite a while. “It’s good to see you, Hannah.”

The smile that used to melt her heart just seemed smarmy now, and she took a step back as he tried to take her in his arms.

He frowned. “So, it’s like that, is it?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin a notch. “I have no idea why you’re here, Jimmy. We have nothing to say to each other.”

“You know,” he said as he took a step closer and reached up to trace the side of her face with his thumb, “I was really hoping we could skip the fight and get right to the make-up sex.”

“You know what they say…wish in one hand—”

“Shit in the other. Funny, babe. You can act pissed if it makes you feel better, but I heard you defending me to Sheriff Dumbshit. You want me.”

“Just because I don’t think you’re a rapist doesn’t mean I want anything to do with you.” She crossed her arms and added, “And Chase is anything but dumb. He…”

Jimmy took another step forward until they were practically knee to knee. “He…?”

Hannah cleared her throat and turned away from him. “He’ll be back any minute, so you should probably leave.”

She felt his hand on her shoulder, and it took everything she had not to pull out of his reach. Not that she feared him, but she knew from experience how hard it could be to get him to leave. Jimmy didn’t exactly take rejection well.

“I wanna know what’s up between you and the sheriff. You sleeping with him?”

She spun around to face him, somewhat surprised by his nerve. “That’s none of your damn business. We’ve been over for
months
, Jimmy.”

His smile faded. “We were taking a break. I always planned to come back for you.”

“Oh, please. I have no idea why you left, or why you decided to come back, but we both know it wasn’t for me. You’ve been in town for a while, and you just today got around to stopping by? Besides, I told you I—”

“How the hell do you know when I got back?”

“Are you serious? Shar’s my best friend. Did you really think she wouldn’t mention you’ve been hanging out with Dillon?”

“I forgot about that gossiping bitch.” He sat down on her bed, pulling her down beside him. “I swear, Hannah, I was just waiting until I’d scraped enough money together so we could finally get a place of our own. That’s what I’m here to tell you. I put down the first and last month’s rent on the old Keller farm out on highway nine.”

Stunned by his gall, Hannah could only gape. “Are you delusional? You actually think I would want anything to do with you after…everything, let alone move in with you? Besides, I know exactly how you ‘scraped enough money together,’ Jimmy. And so do the cops.”

The words were out before she could call them back, not that she regretted them. Jimmy was Dillon’s accomplice in the diner’s robbery and they both knew it.

“What the hell are you talking about? That cop been starting rumors about me?”

When Hannah remained quiet, Jimmy shocked the hell out of her by grabbing her hair in a painful grip and yanking her head back. She let out a cry of protest, but he didn’t seem to care.